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Interstellar Portals - World Building Original Fiction

USS Fardell

Fleet Captain
Fleet Captain
Interstellar Portals
Introduction


At around 8000 BC (Or a few decades after the sea level stabilises at its current post Ice Age level) 99 portals, from Earth to other similar[1] life[2]-bearing planets (or sattelites of planets) which orbit around all of the G, K and F type stars within 40 light years of the Solar System, are created. See map below for portal locations. (There are less than 99 dots. But there is more than one portal for some dots, and there are some in Antarctica)


The portals connect to the planets/satellites in a similar ecological region and air pressure, the salinity levels of the water bodies the portals connect are also very similar. (Tropics-Tropics, temperate-temperate, air pressure the same both sides [with variances for weather systems], fresh water-fresh water, sea water-sea water connections) [3]


On the planets on the other side there are more portals, also connecting to similar life-bearing planets within 40 Earth light years of the relevant system.


And so in like fashion there is a network of portals covering all the life-bearing planets in the Milky Way Galaxy, that are orbiting F, G and K type stars, though the maximum distance covered is 40 light years. (The minimum number of portals, and therefore worlds, between Earth and a planet 70000 light years away would be above 1750)


Soon after the creation of the portals, they are discovered by tribes that live nearby, and as the years, centuries and millennia pass, humanity spreads through the portals to the worlds beyond.
(There may be other sapient and technological species out there, but they may be over 500 light years away, or over 12 jumps from Earth)


As far as Europeans are concerned the first discovery of a portal is by Vikings as they explore the seas around Iceland. (The progression of historical events remains the same in Eurasia and Northern Africa until this time.)


Here is a map and diagram of portals.


World5.png



[1]
The reason the life is so similar is that this is not the first time that the portals have opened. They had opened at various points in time throughout the time of life on Earth. Hence most life beyond the portals is derived from terrestial life at various points.


[2]
The further away from Earth, the weirder the life gets. Closer to Earth, it is more familiar. (There are still variations though, with adaptations to higher or lower gravity and/or air pressures)


[3]
This is the most common type of portal. There are two other types which also appear. These are nowhere as numerous as the other type though.


1. Underground portal. This is within a continent, and is entirely underground. There is no associated deformation of the landscape and the other world can only be accessed by digging mines.


2. Submarine portal. This is on an Abyssal Plain or in a Trench (more often the former), far away from any continents or islands. There is no deformation of the Ocean surface, so the portal can only be accessed by a submersible vehicle.




To be continued
 
Discovery of the Verdean Portal
The Portuguese ship stood off near the strange formation in the ocean, that they had just discovered. The captain of the ship was wondering whether to take the ship into the strange formation, that looked like a whirlpool miles across. Except that part of the island nearby also extended down into the formation. “What do you think Captain? Should we take the ship in?” the first mate asked.


“Aye, we take her in, see what may be causing it” Diego Gomes said, as he continued to look at the formation. The first mate gave orders to take the ship into the formation, slowly.


As the ship moved down into the formation, they noticed something strange. That no matter how far into the formation that the ship moved, that it still seemed like they were going on straight ocean. The angle of things falling relative to the ship stayed the same!


They went further in, and looked at the centre of the formation. Where they saw more water and land curving further around. Making sure to sail on the opposite side from the land, the ship went into the centre, which appeared to be well over a mile across! Then they saw on the other side of the centre, not a sudden end to the formation, but sky! Many of the crew looked back.
The mid day sky, with the sun shining nearly overhead, almost directly astern the ship. They looked forwards. Sky, a slightly different colour, but sky nonetheless. They continued forwards, thinking that to go back without investigating what might be on the other side of whatever it was, would be cowardice. It was similar to northern legends of 'doorways' near Iceland and Greenland, the captain recalled.


As the ship moved through the centre of theformation, they noticed themselves getting slightly lighter. Not too much so, just a pound or too, also some things falling slightly slower.


And so the ship passed through and then found themselves in an area similar to the other side, the ocean reflected the off colour of the sky. The ship went forwards, along side the land, and over 1 hour after entering the formation they came out onto the flat ocean.
The horizon seemed closer than usual, and the moon just over it was at least the half the size of the one they were used to. The land continued to either side of the formation, in a more or less straight line. The trees looked similar to those on the island on the other side.


“Where are we Captain?” the first mate asked.


“Lets find out!” the Captain said, as he looked at the unknown land.
 
Profile on World 000002 (World 000001 being Earth)
Names
Latin or Scientific designation: Alpha Centauri A IV
Common name in most commonly used Language: Centauri


Earliest known habitation: 8000 BC or earlier (but not directly from Earth)
European Discovery: 1507
Earliest European Colony: 1534 – New Suffolk (England)


Surface Area: 2.1 Earth areas.
Year Length: 1 Earth year and 7 Earth months
Day Length/Rotational Period: 36 hours (1.5 Earth days)
Sattelites and orbital periods: 2 (6 local days, and 9 local days)
Metonic cycles of sattelites: 15 local years for inner, and 22.5 local years for outer. Coincidence of cycles occurs every 90 local years.


Names of Continents: Cabotia (Eastern continent to the north of the portal from Earth), Althuria (Southern continent of the main three), Iapaltia (Western continent of the main three), Nefaltia (Eastern continent of the main three) and Cen-arctica (The northern polar continent)




General Ecological Profile
Oceans: Very similar to Earth, coral reefs, seagrass fields, tidal zones very similar. Differences occur on the Abyssal plains and at hot springs...
Cetaceans are the largest megafauna. Many common Earth fish genera have representatives here.


Cabotia: Similar to North America, though there are also diverse Marsupial populations throughout the continent.


Althuria, Iapaltia and Nefaltia all share the same ecological region. Placental Mammals and birds are common. Hemiptera, rather than Coleoptera are the most common insect order. Rodent Megafauna common in rainforest and savannah regions.


Cen-arctica: Polar adapted Eocene Indian species common. Penguin-like Parrots common.


Al-Cent2.png
 
Sorry to be a pain, but the board requests images to be 640x480. I don't make an issue for a bit bigger, but could you size that down a bit please? Otherwise the page-stretching will make the rest of the story difficult to read.
 
Just wondering if you had considered probable interference in 000001 earths cultures due to the portals...invasions etc? It seems like just traffic outward from Earth at as early of a time as you postulate would influence development anway, and any incomming may me more so.

I really like to ponder this type of thing. The gate concept could work as long as the storytelling behind it is compelling.

Dulak (author, USS Shepard stories and others)

(a.k.a. E. Patrick Dorris in a shameless but related plug for my parallel world serial published as the John Smith, World Jumper series on Smashwords)
 
New Kollajara – a profile of a colony in 1920


Colony Name: New Kollajara
Basic Location Details: Located in the northern hemisphere of Mu Ceti II 'Yarellia' 84.3 light years from Earth. On the continent of New Azoria
Minimum travelling distance from Europe: 3 portal formations. 17000 kilometres.


Colony of: The Co-Empire of England, Denmark and Vinland.
Discovered: 1611, by Portugese explorers.
First colonised: 1650, by the Netherlands.
Transferred to English control: 1718
Dominion Status (self ruling): 1850 officially, 1756 unofficially.
Kingdom Status (officially responsible for colonies further out): 1903


Form of Government: A loose unitary democracy.
Population in 1920: 21,230,000
Main exports in 1920: Grains, fruit, Gold, Tungsten, wood.


Languages spoken: English, Danish, Vinlandic, Novo-Kollajaran Dutch, various indiginous languages.


http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr193/Brenorenz/NewKollajara.jpg
 
Part 5


An Archaeological dig on 38 Ceti II 'Ua Valla' (143 light years from Earth)
17 October 1858 AD (Terran Gregorian Date)
6 August 130 (Local Date, years since discovery)
The carriage pulled up to the archaeological site, in a rush. Doctor James Livingstone wondered what it was that he had to dragged all the way out here on the Cetian frontier (though the real frontier was further out) and over 22000 miles from Cambridge, through 4 portals, to see. (Though he had to admitt that railways and steamships had sped up the journey to a mere 4 months rather than the year or more it would have been nearly a century ago.)
“Welcome Doctor, to Ua Valla Site 51, we have been waiting for 4 and half months since we sent the telegram,” said a young archaeologist, with a hint of an Oxford accent.
'Terrific, if not for the invention of the telegraph, I would still be in Cambridge, or at least, still in transit to the Ceylon Portal,' he thought.


Though that was not really fair, the telegraph had simply superceded the older semaphore networks, in the last 50 years, it wasn't something entirely new.


“Are you Doctor Quentin?” Dr, Livingstone asked the (apparently) Oxford educated archaeologist.
“Yes, I am Doctor Oliver Quentin. it was I who suggested that you should be summoned here. We have found some quite unusual artefacts, that you might be able to help us with,” Doctor Oliver Quentin said.
“Really?” Dr, Livingstone asked.
“Yes. We think that the artefacts we found are of previously unknown advanced technologies. Much more advanced than anything previously discovered, and that is why we called you in. The discoveries that you made on Vivalis 25 years ago are what lead us to this area,” Dr. Quentin said.
That got Dr. Livingstone's attention.


The artefacts that he had found on Vivalis, were at the time more advanced than previously discovered. And were also more advanced than any known civilisation had at the time. Some of the artefacts were engines that could use oil based compounds for energy inside the cylinders, and various electrical items, including light bulbs and sound-recording machines. The light bulbs and sound recorders had been recently reverse-engineered, but the internal combustion engine hadn't yet. Metallurgical Science still had a way to go...


“Take me to the artefacts,” Dr. Livingstone said.
Dr. Quentin took him into the site, where a building had once stood. “from what we have been able to determine the site was abandoned approximately 800 years ago, for reasons unknown. The remains of the building are interesting. The foundations are made with concrete, though it is shattered and stained with rust. It is possible that the concrete was reinforced with iron, or steel, which has since rusted away,” Dr Quentin said.
“Interesting,” Dr. Livingstone said.


They came to where the strange artefacts were stored, after they had been dug up. Another young archaeologist met them outside the shack.


“Hi, Doctor Livingstone? I am Ophelia Patterson, Dr Quentin's Postgraduate assistant, the artefacts are in here. When I discovered the first one I didn't know what it was,” the postgrad said, and held out her hand.


Dr. Livingstone sighed. He still wasn't used to women studying at universities. He didn't know what the beauraucrats and politicians in London and Copenhagen were thinking when that particular reform was brought in over a decade ago. He shook her hand.


Patterson and Dr. Quentin lead Dr. Livingstone to the devices. “When we found them, there were electrical cables running between various components of the devices, so we knew form the outset that they are electrical in nature, and that they are also modular. Each component would serve a different function,” Patterson said.
“We haven't taken them apart, as we wanted to wait for your opinion first. We also found many books, but the language and/or the writing system is completely unknown. All the linguists that we have been able to consult so far were completely perplexed.”
Dr. Livingstone reached out to one of the components of one of the devices. “This looks like what, could be a Cathode Ray tube. I have heard that the Klatza are working on them, but they have nothing like this,” he said.


He kept current (or tried to) with the number of civilisations that the Co-Imperium had contact with. The Klatza were the most advanced, having been contacted about 15 years before. They seemed to be about 50 years ahead of most European nations.


“And this looks like a typewriter without the ribbon,” he said.
“We think it is some sort of imput device for a typewriter based telegraph, which the devices could be linked into,” Dr. Quentin said.
“Though it could be something else entirely,” Patterson said.
Dr. Livingstone lifted the 'Cathode Ray tube' off the box portion of the device. “Is there anything else that you have found?” he asked.
“Yes, we also found stacks of some sort of thin flexible squares, and though they have writing on them, we don't know what they are for. They are stored nearby,” Dr. Quentin said.
“I'll look at those soon,” Dr. Livingstone said. He flipped a latch on the top of the box, and then took the top off carefully. All three of them looked inside.
“Cannot make heads or tails of any of this electrical stuff, we probably need a Mathematician to have a look at it,” Patterson said, of the various boards of electrical circuits (?) she could see inside.
“Agreed, though even a Klatza mathematician might be perplexed. It might take even them decades to reverse engineer something like this,” Dr. Livingstone said. He knew he was in for a long period of fieldwork. He was grateful that he had put his affairs in order back in Cambridge before he had left.




To be continued
 
I have a problem with the Portugese ship. There is nothing in the story segment to indicate time frame, so I will assume ancient sailing vessel? If so, something like a "giant whirlpool" would scare the beejesus out of them. The sailors of the time were highly superstitious and never would have come close to something like that.

Also, artifacts.
 
Part 6
The City of Geallie Var was busy. But then again it was always busy, being on a confluence of busy trade routes. The city straddled a portal which was located at the confluence of 3 continents on both worlds that it connected, with other portals within easy reach on all 6 of those continents.
It was a thousand years since the founding of the city. 800 years since the city had become independent following the fall of its parent city due to a famine exacerbated by war. 500 years since the height of the empire ruled by the city, which had legends about it in dozens of worlds. 300 years since the fall of that empire was complete, not that that reduced the trade any. 100 years since the first rumours of Europeans reached the city. 10 years since the city's most distant trading partner had been conquered by the 'Espanyol'.
But this story is not about the ongoing debate by the City's senate and those of its close trading partners and allies about the threat the Europeans might pose to them in the near or further future.




This story is about a meeting late in the year between a mercenary and a representative of an Haudenusaunai kingdom, located 1500 miles to the south of the city on the southern shore of the continent that the greater portion of the city was located on. (Being that the city was founded on one side of the portal, and later expanded through it.)


The mercenary leader looked at the public house where his informant had told him that the representative of the Haudenusaunai kingdom was waiting for him. It was an average pub for the City. It stood 3 stories high, and had upwards of 100 rooms. There were stores on either side. The pub was located in an area of the city close to the centre of the city, completely outside of the portal.


“Welcome Etashi, I am Curious Forest, agent for the Kingdom of Senieda.”


“Good Day, Curious Forest. Your name is appopriate; as I am curious as to why your kingdom wishes to hire my company of soldiers of fortune?”


“Yes, I did leave that out in my message. You see the Kingdom of Senieda faces conflict with the K!hosi Empire,” Curious Forest said.


Etashi knew of the K!hosi Empire, it was a minor trading partner of Gaellie Var and the quickest route from the city to territory of that Empire was through a portal located in Seniedan territory.


“They have designs on your territory?” he asked.


“There have been increasing skirmishes between us and them over our common border, the possibilty of war increases with each passing day. Indeed it may have had already brocken out,” Curious Forest said.


“I will need more intelligence before I commit my company to your cause,” Etashi said.


“I understand,” Curious Forest said, dejectedly.


“I didn't say that I was rejecting your offer. I am willing to take my company from Gaellie Var to your kingdom where the intelligence will be more recent,” Etashi said.


“You will come?” Curious Forest asked.


“Yes,” Etashi said.


And so as Etashi left the pub, he was already mentally going through the preparations needed for a journey to the Kingdom of Seneida.


Curious Forest was heading back to the embassy where the ambassador would send a message via the semaphore back to Seneida.
 
As above, a ship encounters this massive whirlpool in the middle of the ocean and the captain concludes that they must take the ship into this massive whirlpool to 'see what's causing it'?

Where does that make sense on any level? Because to me it sounds like pure lunacy.
 
As above, a ship encounters this massive whirlpool in the middle of the ocean and the captain concludes that they must take the ship into this massive whirlpool to 'see what's causing it'?

Where does that make sense on any level? Because to me it sounds like pure lunacy.

It will be revised, eventually...
 
Part 7
The 9th Century
850
Naddoddr becomes lost sailing from the Faeroe Islands to Norway. He discovers what will become Iceland, landing on the east coast.


Approx. 860
A storm pushes Gargar Svavarsson's ship to the north from the Faeroe Islands. He lands on the East coast of Iceland. On his subsequent circumnavigation of the island he discovers two strange formations on a northern cape. He makes note of them but he doesn't explore through them as of yet. His circumnavigation proves that Iceland is an island.

Nattafari escapes from Gargar with 2 slaves somewhere on the northern coast, and settles there. (Alternatively they were left behind)

Shortly after this Floki Vigardarson explores the western coast before returning to Norway.


874
Ingolfur Arnarson arrives at where Reykjavik will be and settles there. This is the beginning of the Settlement of Iceland.


890
The Portals are sighted again by emigrating Norsemen arriving in Iceland. The discovery is reported in the Reykjavik area, and quickly spreads to all the settlements.


891
After much discussion it is decided that the portals will be investigated. Several settlers voyage to the western portal and carefully row through it. They find a land that looks much like Iceland under an alien sky. They return and report their finding.

A second group investigates the eastern portal and finds an archapelago of volcanic islands, that look similar to Iceland. They find the night sky at once familiar but find stars in different locations. They also report their finding.


895
A settlement is established on the other side of the western portal. The land is named Brynjarmark, after its discoverer. Exploration begins along the coastline.


896
A settlement is established on one of the islands on the other side of the eastern portal. The island is also named for its discoverer, Hrafnsholmer. Exploration begins of the sea surrounding the archapelago.


http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr193/Brenorenz/Icelandwithportals.png
 
Why do all of the portals seem to be coastal or beach/lake front areas? Surely it would make sense to have at least some of them inland where travelers could go through on foot or in carriage/vehicle of some kind.

And some might be revered as religious icons like in Stargate.

Just a few things you might want to think about.
 
It's just loads of lists of things and pictures, there's nothing here that people can really get excited about.

Tons of extremely dry groundwork rather than actually getting on with writing something that people can read.
 
It's just loads of lists of things and pictures, there's nothing here that people can really get excited about.

Tons of extremely dry groundwork rather than actually getting on with writing something that people can read.

i've been accused of that myself
 
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